Plant-based Homesteading and Sustainable Living

Health and Wellness

I’ve mentioned my struggle with sensitive skin a few times over the years, so when I was invited to take part in an online book tour for Dr. Sandy Skotnicki’s new book Beyond Soap, I jumped at the chance. I was a teen during the 80’s. If you were there, or if you’ve ever seen anRead more

Vegan truck stop – now that’s an image I enjoy more than I probably should. Having grown up with truck-driving uncles (I’m talking Smokey and the Bandit era truckers), I can’t help but laugh at the thought of them pulling in to fuel up at a roadside stop run by vegans. While that’s something I’mRead more

Are you thinking about reducing the amount of meat, eggs, and dairy you eat? Limiting your intake of these things is sure to benefit you physically, but it’s not always an easy adjustment to make, mentally. I have several friends and family members who have been told to adopt a plant-based diet for a varietyRead more

This morning, my daughter and I have been experimenting with making homemade lip balm. She had to come up with a chemistry-based project for an upcoming science fair, so she decided to study emulsifiers and how they stabilize liquids. Since I have some experience with whipping up my own concoctions, I was enlisted to oversee the project. Read more

I’ve mentioned previously how much trouble I have finding things I can use on my skin without it turning into an itchy, scaly, reptilian mess – there aren’t many products out there for someone who can’t handle artificial colors, scents, or preservatives (and I like to think I’m low maintenance – pffft!). I used to think myRead more

I had no idea when we first got our chickens how much veterinary work would be involved with caring for them. I’ve had pets my whole life, and it’s only on the very rare occasion that I’ve ever had to do any kind of doctoring. So far with my hens, I’ve had to deal withRead more

Sounds a little weird, doesn’t it? But trust me, you are going to want to eat these muffins morning, noon, and night. I got the original version of this recipe from a friend several months ago, and have been in love ever since. They are delicious enough to be called cupcakes, but I stand firmRead more

This week’s news headlines have been filled with reports of chemicals in baby products and their possible toxicity. The main concern of this latest report is over phthalates, which are added to plastics to make them more flexible and have lately been raising concerns over their use in toys, as they are suspected carcinogens andRead more

I’ve been talking about doing a post on my all time favorite salad dressing for a long time now – so long, in fact, that I took this photo in June of 2006 in preparation for it. I’ve been making a version of this salad for about 8 years. In the beginning, I used aRead more

I’ve talked here quite a bit about the things we’ve done as a family to reduce our impact on the environment, but one thing that I haven’t touched on yet is the one thing I’ve been doing the longest, and the one thing that I think is as important for frugal reasons as environmental ones.Read more